Patrick Starnes
Candidate for Governor

Campaign website – https://starnes2022.com/
Campaign email address – patrickstarnes@live.com

Question One – People with lived experience of mental illness, addiction, alcoholism, and or trauma are under-represented in public office. What is your personal experience with these illnesses?

Starnes – I have a variety of friends and family members who suffer these illnesses. I grew up with alcoholics and untreated bipolar so I know personally the impacts on everyday Oregonians.

Question Two – Oregon ranks at the bottom of states in a well-regarded national survey of access to public treatment services for mental illness, addiction and alcoholism. What can you in office do to change this?

Starnes – By creating the Oregon Health Fund that is outside the General Fund and expanding ohp4all: we will expand full coverage to many who are not properly insured and thereby provide treatment to hundreds of thousands of working Oregonians not insured at all.

Question Three – In that same national survey, Oregon ranks at the top for prevalence of mental illness, addiction and alcoholism. What can you in office do to change this?

Starnes – Similar to the previous answer (ohp4all) but I would add that we need to remove the stigma or any obstacles of getting mental health treatment or addiction treatment to people who are suffering. We need to have the services nearby those who need the services so they do not have to travel far. Creating safe, free and reliable transit is a high priority.

Question Four – A natural consequence of lack of access to treatments and high prevalence of mental illness, addiction and alcoholism is chronic homelessness. Why isn’t Portland’s strategy to reduce homelessness working and what could you do in office to change that?

Starnes – Like the Oregon Health Fund, I would create the Oregon Shelter Fund that again is outside of the General Fund. We will gain revenue from a Vacancy Fee on abandoned homes and commercial buildings thereby allowing the State of Oregon to FINALLY be a substantial partner in helping Portland and other communities across the state end homelessness for good.

Question Five – In 2015 the US DOJ found the Portland Police Bureau has a pattern and practice of harming people with mental illness. There’s little data to show that pattern and practice has changed, and no data to show other metro area police bureaus are any different. How would you in office engage with this problem?

Starnes – We need to redirect police and criminal justice dollars away from law enforcement and put that money into unarmed, mental health providers on the streets. The best example is CAHOOTS in Eugene. As Governor I would provide state money to PPB for body cameras which they have been reluctant to obtain. This way PPB cannot use lack of dollars as an excuse.